# CGI in Rise of Planet of Apes looks cheesy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965 "2011-07-14T02:53:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/1 "2011-07-14T02:53:48Z")
They’ve been running Promos for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The first part looks good where the young chimp is raised. The end of the Prom is horrible CGI IMHO. Especially they they paste on this snarl onto this picture of an ape. They cut to this fake chimp arm raising a staff. Terrible, cheesy stuff too me. You think the rest of the CGI is this tacky? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/2 "2011-07-14T03:43:50Z")
Trailer (well several are here). [http://www.totalfilm.com/news/full-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-online](http://www.totalfilm.com/news/full-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-online) May be a good story. I’m just not impressed with the CGI Apes. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/3 "2011-07-14T04:27:19Z")
I’ll bet it does better than Captain America. That cheesy CGI’ed zipline scene in CA looks much cheesier. If that’s the epitome of Cap America action interspersed with some flamethrower scenes, I would rather pass. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/4 "2011-07-14T05:06:36Z")
I think what I am saying is that instead of CGI half or quArter the way as in CA, the full on cinematographic commitment to animation is different. I think this POA will be grounbreaking in cinema tech and story. One conceit shall complete the ring. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/5 "2011-07-14T12:40:47Z")
Not seeing it myself. The CGI looks fine, the character design seems consistent from one scene to the next. The physics seem correct as the characters seem to move with weight and impact. The skin, hair, and eyes all read correctly. What in particular makes you think it looks cheesy? ---
**Author:** ![Roseanne\_Valerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e95f7d/32.png) [@Roseanne\_Valerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roseanne_Valerie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/6 "2011-07-14T13:07:31Z")
I’ve been mightily impressed with every trailer I’ve seen, Weta’s CGI work included. As an added note, every one of my friends and colleagues are nearly salivating with anticipation for this movie’s release. Many put at at number two on their most-anticipated summer movies list, right after _Super 8_. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/7 "2011-07-14T13:20:14Z")
I agree with the OP that the CGI looks cheesy, but not because it’s necessarily bad CGI, but simply because it’s very obviously CGI. Even by the 15-second teaser it’s apparent that at no point is anyone going to believe they are looking at real primates. I think what may be the biggest obstacle to suspension of disbelief will be their interaction with live-action actors, as that tends to make CGI that much more obvious, particularly when the CGI in question is people or animals, as opposed to machines (e.g. _Transformers_) which is much easier to pull off. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/8 "2011-07-14T13:59:51Z")
The CGI is flawless - the models are perfect, the lighting and compositing, too - can’t say a word against the physics. Yes, the mind still balks at accepting it as real, because they move like reasoning, scheming, communicating human beings - and that’s totally uncanny. If you saw flesh-and-blood apes behaving that way, you’d see a similar effect. Could you put intelligent apes across without the anthropomorphism? Maaaaaybe - but I doubt it. Looks great - I don’t think you could do any better with the core concept. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/9 "2011-07-14T15:13:17Z")
I’m not seeing what is cheesy about it either. Except for the one shot at the end of a chimp jumping at a helicopter (because it looks stupid when \*anyone \*leaps at a helicopter), it looks great. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/10 "2011-07-14T19:35:10Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > The CGI is flawless - the models are perfect, the lighting and compositing, too - can’t say a word against the physics. It’s far from flawless, but it’s also at least as far from cheesy. The greatest weakness is in the faces, such as 0:39, which has a very artificial appearance to it. From a slightly greater distance, the CG is fine, though I will say a few scenes didn’t look quite right, such as when the monkeys are shaking the cages. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/11 "2011-07-14T19:41:21Z")
I think it looks pretty good, not cheesy. From my understanding of how movies are made, don’t trailers get released before all of the final CGI is finished? They’ll likely be tweaking and polishing it up right until the release date. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/12 "2011-07-14T19:56:32Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I think it looks pretty good, not cheesy. > > From my understanding of how movies are made, don’t trailers get released before all of the final CGI is finished? They’ll likely be tweaking and polishing it up right until the release date. It’s due for release in just over 2 weeks. The CGI in the trailer is almost certainly final. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/13 "2011-07-14T20:27:19Z")
It looks good to me - not cheesy. How is it any worse than Avatar (2D)? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/14 "2011-07-14T20:31:36Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > It looks good to me - not cheesy. How is it any worse than Avatar (2D)? The CG itself may not be any better or worse. The problem lies within the uncanny valley. Because we know what apes look like and how they should move, it makes it far more difficult to model with 100% likeness. This applies less so for aliens on an alien world with lower gravity, for which we have no comparison. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/15 "2011-07-14T22:48:04Z")
I never took issue with Maurice Evans in his Dr. Zaius mask, so the CGI is a non-issue for me. It’s not like they could get apes to do 95% of what was shown in the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/16 "2011-07-14T22:59:54Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > The CG itself may not be any better or worse. The problem lies within the uncanny valley. Because we know what apes look like and how they should move, it makes it far more difficult to model with 100% likeness. This applies less so for aliens on an alien world with lower gravity, for which we have no comparison. I think the uncanny valley thing kinda works in the trailer. The monkeys look kinda “off”, but then they’re supposed to be threatening and kind of alien, so it works. I think the movie will suck just because the premise is too hard to swallow, but the CGI looks cool. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/17 "2011-07-14T23:02:09Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > I never took issue with Maurice Evans in his Dr. Zaius mask, so the CGI is a non-issue for me. It’s not like they could get apes to do 95% of what was shown in the trailer. Right, and they couldn’t have Spiderman actually websling around the city–that didn’t stop it from looking silly in the first two movies. (not that I’m saying the two are comparable, just commenting that it’s not a good excuse). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/18 "2011-07-14T23:12:10Z")
The facial expressions (especially when Caesar snarls in anger) are what caught my eye as being way off. Faces are the most difficult thing to get right. That wasn’t an issue in the original movies. The masks didn’t allow much facial movement. What movement we saw came from the actors in the costumes. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/19 "2011-07-15T02:06:47Z")
The problem with that trailer is that it obviates any actual need to see the movie since it tells you exactly what happens. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965/20 "2011-07-15T04:00:35Z")
Anyone that’s seen the first three movies knows what happens in this one. The apes take over, kill and enslave a bunch of humans. Years later Charlton Heston shows up and upsets the natural order of the world. There I saved you 12 bucks on a ticket. 😃 > [@Scissorjack](#): > > The problem with that trailer is that it obviates any actual need to see the movie since it tells you exactly what happens. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cgi-in-rise-of-planet-of-apes-looks-cheesy/588965.md?page=2)